1Task Force Titans

Chap 2

Training

AR: hi. In this chapter, you’ll get to see Raven and the other four train. Among other things. Most likely a long one.

At the Stonehenge replica, the four were still shocked. Raven asked, “So, you Granted my friends new abilities to fight in your war?”

“No. I unlocked your friends, and most of those here, potential so that you’ll have a chance of surviving the war. Though, as far as your friends are concerned, they aren’t even tapping into their full potential. Which means I’ll have to teach them when next we meet.” said Pendragon. “ripurike-to.”

There before everyone’s eyes stood an exact duplicate of Pendragon. He waved and said, “eo ire itum.” and disappeared.

Pendragon sighed and looked at his students. “Before you ask, I can only do that once a month.” he tapped his head for a moment. “Ah yes. How about a sparing tournament. Just to make it even...” he snapped his fingers and six cards appeared above his head.

Necro said, “Learn to count old man. There’s only five of us here.”

“Really?” asked Pendragon. “Well, we need to fix that then. Any other complaints? Good! Now who’s first?” he snapped twice and two cards turned over. “Bet and Vincent.” Bet gave a little cheer, while Vincent shrugged. “Your arena is Stonehenge. Everyone not involved clear the area.” when they did, Pendragon grinned. “Go all out. Ready, Fight!!!”

Five cards appeared in Bet’s left hand. “Since this is a friendly spar, I’d figure I’d warn ya about my power. When one of these babies starts glowing, try to dodge.” all three started glowing. “Full house!”

Bet threw the cards at Vincent. He back flipped once and avoided the cards. He saw them explode and create a small smoke screen. He felt two small cuts on his face. “How?”

“You don’t know a lot about cards, do ya?” asked Bet. “A full house consists of three of a kind and a separate two of a kind. In this case, smoke and blade or spade and diamond.”

Vincent grinned. “Ingenious. I must warn you. I don’t know the full extent of my power, so I might go overboard.” he did three hand seals (bull, fox, and bat). and said, “Koumorisensu: koumajutsu ken.” (Bat style: summoning demon sword) a sword black as night appeared in his right hand. It’s hilt looked like bat wings. He ran at Bet at incredible speed. Bet grinned and threw a card in front of her. From the card came a great stone wall. He stopped short of crushing his nose. He slashed the wall, to be met with a small explosion.

“Contego.” said Pendragon. When the smoke cleared, Bet held up three fingers in a W. She had her tounge sticking out. Vincent was on the ground panting. “Winner by judge; Bet.” he looked at the sky and grinned. “Who’s up for lunch?”

TFTFTFTFTFT

Gizmo and Mammoth were hiding in an abandoned warehouse. “Fragin Jinx turning on us. If I ever get my hands on her I’ll tear her like toilet paper!”

Mammoth just shrugged and continued eating. Since the defeat at Prague, things hadn’t been that great. Seemore and Captain Hive had been captured a few weeks ago. Jinx had apparently gone straight. And what was worse, they had to ration their food. Suddenly, he heard something. “Huh?”

“Seems like you idiots are still alive.” said a feminine voice. The two Hive members looked up to find their worst nightmare. She had black hair, blue eyes, two swords and a senbon in her mouth. Her shirt had a yellow H on the left breast. “I’ve got a job for you two.”

Gizmo was, for once, at a loss for words. “Requiem? You seem harder to kill then a roach. What’s the job?”

“We’re going to do a Quad div.” said Requiem.

Mammoth swallowed. “Hold up. We need at least five for that. I might not’ve been good at math, but I only count three.”

“I have it covered. Yo! Mercs!” shouted Requiem.

A pale skinned sixteen year old guy stepped forward. He had platinum hair and a bandana. He had a gun shaped device in his pocket. He wore a long duster. He sighed. “The pay had better be good, Client.”

A bald girl walked forward. She had black eyes. She wore all black except for a little area around her knee which was white. “At you’re service.”

Gizmo asked, “Alright. What are we stealing?”

“Some priceless artifacts that the payer wants.” said Requiem “Here’s what we’ll do.”

At T tower, Robin and the teen formally known as Cyborg (who for simplicities sake will be refered to as Vic for awhile), were in the med wing looking after an unconscious Star. Robin was pacing. “She should’ve woken up by now.”

Vic tapped a few buttons on the health screen. “According to this, her bodies adjusting to something. My guess would be what that Pendragon guy did.”

Robin muttered. “If he’s done anything to harm her...”

Vic shrugged. “There isn’t a lot we can do. And if you don’t stop pacing I will throw you out the window.”

They both heard the doorbell. Robin ran out the door, Vic close behind. When they opened the door they saw Pendragon. (Actually his “clone” but that doesn’t make a lot of difference.) “May I come in?”

Robin grabbed him by the shirt. “If you’ve done anything to hurt Starfire...”

Pendragon rolled his eyes. “I warned you. I had never unlocked a Tameranean before and it isn’t like I can experiment several times before it goes off without a hitch. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to talk with you four.”

Robin released him. The three walked to the gym, to find a green penguin doing the moonwalk. Vic shook his head in disbelief. Pendragon clapped quietly. Robin cleared his throat. The penguin changed to Beast Boy and chuckled weakly. “What’s up?”

Pendragon said, “First off, you guy’s didn’t seriously think the notes I gave you were the entire capabilities of you’re latent gifts, did you? Consider those a crash course. Now, time for lesson two.”

Beast boy groaned. “Ah man. I thought I had gotten away from school with the super hero gig.”

Pendragon thought it, Vic said it. “That would explain a lot.”

Pendragon coughed, discreetly. “Moving on. Hmmm. I’m not really used to doing this without a light show.” he snapped his fingers and the lights shut off. “You might want to get those looked at.” he took out a flashlight and turned it on. “Anyway. The universe is basically run on the basics of Elements.”

Beast boy groaned. “I knew it. This is going to be a science lesson.”

“Not quite.” said Pendragon. “Think of it more as a mystic lesson. You three and Starfire only have to worry about four, thankfully. I’ll get to that in a bit. Each element is governed by a spirit. Before you ask, they aren’t deities. No matter how much they may wish. Basically, every ability and person is linked with at least one element. The four you have to deal with are:” he pointed to Robin. “Fire,” to beast boy. “Nature, beastial to be exact,” to Vic. “Physical” he pointed his thumb towards the door. “And Angelic for you Starfire. It’s good to see you’re feeling better.”

Star hovered over to the group and sniffed. “Ahhhh.” The three panicked. “Chooo!” Beast boy, and Robin flew about five feet. Vic was inside a blue energy field.

Pendragon stepped out from behind Star. “Bless you.”

Beastboy sounded serious. “Do you know of an element that can control the ground?”

“Yeah. But you’re friend is a special case.” said Pendragon. The titans looked at him. “I told you. I’ve been surveying you guy’s for awhile. If you’re next question is if I know a sure fire way to cure her, the answer is no.” he scratched his nose. “Now for pointers. BeastBoy: while it is true that you can hold a position for a time, there’s a little more to you than simply changing forms. You can also use the forms abilities in ‘elf form’. For instance, a dragon’s breath, a behemoth’s strength. You can use any of them while ‘normal’. But the limit is one at a time. Exceeding that is asking for trouble.”

Vic asked, “What about me?”

Pendragon grinned. “While it may seem like a good idea to just go into some situations fist’s swinging, you’re abilities have a wider range. You can send a energy wave from your hands, and depending on the armor you wear, who knows. But you need a sensei and an extra teammate since I’m borrowing yours. Voco Kazetaka y Oda.”

Two people appeared in a puff of smoke. One was a kid with black hair, wearing a mini trench coat. He had a long sword at his side. The other was an older man wearing a circular straw hat and green kendo robes. The kid looked around and groaned. “I was hoping to meet the blue one. Oh well. Oda Arashi codename: Oni. At you’re service.”

The man removed his hat to reveal green hair. “Shino Kazetaka, code name: Hawk. At you’re service.”

Pendragon said, “as for you, redbird, your training will help immensely. Consider the flames as an overpowered mood ring. The stronger the emotion, the fiercer the flame. I suggest flame proof clothes. Be careful about pointing and hand gestures in general, at least in Suzaku mode.”

Starfire started sniffling again. “Annd me, friend PendraCHOO?” beams of light shot everywhere.

Pendragon scratched his head. “First off, if you have a cold, stay away from halls of mirrors. Refrain from pointing until you can control it. Good news is, you could be a good healer, with training.” he took out three books. One with a flame on the cover, one with a angel, and a comic. He handed the flame to Robin, the angel to Starfire, and the comic to Beast Boy. He said to Vic, “You’ll have hands on learning.” in general he said, “the books list different abilities you should have access to. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find a hotel.” he walked out the door.

As soon as he left, all three looked through the books.

Beast Boy was the first to speak. “Hey! What gives? Most of its blank! It’s a rip off!”

Oni chuckled. “Not really. Consider this. If you knew a ultimate technique, you’d use it right? If you did so without being ready for it, you’d most likely die and leave a mess.”

Robin asked, “How long are you two planning to stay, anyway?”

Hawk smirked. “As long as we need to. As long as we stay, you four are the bosses.” he saw the glint in Beastboy’s eyes. “Regular chores and training are free. Dishes and windows will cost you.”

The alarm sounded. The four titans and their guests ran to the main room. On the main screen, they saw five crimes going on simultaneously. Gizmo was attacking an electronics shop, Mammoth the Jump city bank, a white haired teen was attacking the power plant, a bald girl was attacking a supermarket, and a black haired girl was attacking a museum.

Robin went into leader mode. “Cyborg go after Gizmo. Beast Boy the supermarket. Oni the museum. Star the power plant. I’ll go after Mammoth. Titans Go.”

TFTFTFTF

In a cave on the outskirts of the city, Slade chuckled slightly. “Now we’ll see the extent of you’re new powers, titans.”

He heard a voice. “So, this is the lair of the infamous DeathStroke. I was expecting a mansion but there is something to simplicity.”

Slade asked, “Who’s there?”

A teen with a cloth covering his eyes walked forward. He wore blue robes and carried a sword at his side. “Someone who can hand you the powers of the titans, this city, and if you’re lucky, the world.”

“And what would be in it for you?” asked Slade.

The teen chuckled. “There is a war brewing and my client might need you’re assistance. To show our ‘good’ will, we will even resurrect your heir for free.”

“And your Client is?” asked Slade.

“Morgan le Fey. Rightful queen of this pathetic hunk of rock and true wife of Trigon the destroyer.” said the teen.

Slade asked, “and she wants and or needs my help because?”

The teen sighed. “Milady is currently imprisoned and can not be free till three months hence. When she is released, she will need a general with leadership qualities and a mastermind of turmoil at her side.”

“What’s you’re name?” asked Slade.

“Titan.”

Slade smirked under his mask. ‘At the perfect time I could rule the world. And if I don’t like the management, I can always slit up the ladder.’ “Tell you’re client that I accept, for now. But for a long term agreement, I’ll need collateral.”

Titan smirked. ‘Fool.’ “You will have my services, Sir Slade, Knight of the black Rose.”

Tftftftftftftftftftftf

As they walked into the house, Pendragon hummed. Necro shouted. “Make up your mind old man! First you say we spar, then you lead us inside the house! What gives?”

“I’m hungry.” Responded Pendragon. “besides, with food in ya’ you’ll be able to fight longer.” Inside they heard cursing that would humble the hardiest sailor. “please tell me that’s not the food processor.” He prayed silently.

Smoke engulfed the room. Everyone coughed for a good three minutes. They heard a click and the fans started. There before them stood a red and gray haired man. On his shirt was an unnatural color. “The FP’s on the fritz again.” He looked at Raven and Vincent. “They the new kids?”

“Yeah.” Said Pendragon. “Raven and Vincent, meet Ralph Norton. An old friend and mechanical genius.” He said to Ralph, “That’s the sixth time this month.” He looked at the stain. “what were you trying to make anyway?”

“You guy’s can train in the Theat, Mo’s already in there. I’ll have the food ready in ten-twenty minutes.” Said Ralph. He took out a cigarette and lit it.

Pendragon led them down a hall or two. Bet tried to make conversation. “He really shouldn’t smoke. He’s at least forty, isn’t he?”

Pendragon sighed. “Actually, he’s a hundred and nine and on his last legs.” he knocked on a large door and opened it. Inside was a room that resembled a large dojo. Inside was a masked girl performing a kata. “I have brought your classmates, Morle.”

The girl turned and bowed to the group. “It’s nice to meet you, Koumori Vincent and Raven.”

Pendragon snapped his fingers and the cards appeared again, minus two. He snapped them again and two turned over. “Raven versus Morle. The field is the Theater. Anyone not involved, this is a good time to practice dodging. Ready, Begin!” he took out a sword and handed it to Raven.

Raven drew it and saw it had an inscription on it. “Dark shadow, protector with obsidian wings, fly true.”

Morle bowed to Raven and nodded to Pendragon. “You and I are kindred spirits Lady Raven. Both of our father’s have demonic tendencies, we both have vowed to fight against them and we both know the joy of friends.”

Raven looked around and saw that there was nothing she could use her telekinesis on. “Azarath Metrion Zinthos.” she formed an obsidian projectile and flung it at Morle.

Morle jumped over and said, “ball of flame, Ignite.” fire formed in her hand and she threw it at Raven. Raven formed a barrier at the last second. “Not bad.”

Raven was breathing hard. ‘Didn’t expect it to be so powerful. Who is she?’

She heard Pendragon’s “voice”. ‘that’s not really the issue at the moment. Repeat after me out loud and point. Shadow arrow fly true, Umbrako’

‘You’re kidding right?’ Raven didn’t hear an answer. ‘figured.’ She lowered the barrier and pointed. “Shadow Arrow fly true, Umbrako.” A bolt of shadow energy shot out of her finger towards Morle.

Morle said, “Redirect the wolf!” she batted the shadow bolt towards Vincent. He ducked and the bolt left a small crater in the wall. “Not bad, Lady Raven.”

Pendragon chuckled. “Winner: Raven. Now, let’s eat!”

TFTFTFTFTFTF

Starfire reached her target first. The teen had his back to Star. “odd to find a Tameranian on a planet like this. Let me guess, a scout? Doesn’t matter really. Names Vex, you can call me WhiteFlame.”

“I am Starfire. I do not wish to fight you, but if you do not stop, people will be harmed.” Said Star.”

WhiteFlame chuckled. “considering the fact our races have battled for centuries, I doubt that. Actually, I’m only being paid to lure you here and keep you here until the boss lady gives the signal. Considering I’m a pro with a reputation that means you can’t go help your teammates.” He turned around and reached inside his jacket. He pushed a button and a large barrier formed around the power plant, trapping the two. “It’s set for two hours, Starfire of Tameran. Might as well get comfy. After all, it’s designed so that even a sun going nova wouldn’t be able to dent it.”

Starfire did a strafe run against Whiteflame. He rolled his eyes and back flipped, dodging the starbolts. He took out a metallic ball and flew at Starfire. He threw it at her. When it hit, it expanded and trapped her inside a bubble like machine. “What have you done?”

Whiteflame shrugged. “trapped you inside a nullos sphere. The effects are obvious.” He tapped his right ear. “What do you want?”

“Have you completed the objective?”

“What of it?”

“Kill the target, immediately!”

“That’s not in the contract.”

“And I care? Kill her now or you won’t see one red cent from me!” the connection was severed.

Whiteflame took out a pistol shaped device and pointed it at Starfire. “Close your eyes. This won’t hurt.”

Starfire closed her eyes and waited for death. The shot was heard but Starfire felt no pain. She opened her eyes and saw the sphere was broken in two. Whiteflame was sitting a little ways off. “Why did you not end my life?”

WhiteFlame sighed. “I have nothing against you. Besides, if it’s not in the contract, I don’t do it.”

“But you said our races have been fighting each other.” Said Starfire.

WhiteFlame answered. “you didn’t start it. Even if you had, I’m past thinking about Triopti politics.” He pushed a button and the barrier flickered then died. He stood up and dusted himself off. “I hate it when clients complicate things.” he looked at Star and sighed. “Look, I can’t guranttee that I’ll have a choice when and if we meet again. I need the money.” he walked off.

Starfire flew off to see if Robin needed help.

Ttftftftftftftftft

Vic got to his target next. He parked the t-car a little ways off, so that Gizmo wouldn’t be able to use it as a weapon. He ran inside the Electric shop. He saw a group of people trembling in the corner. He walked towards the back, expecting the midget machinist to attack at any time. He reached the back and saw Gizmo stuffing something in his pack. “Alright punk! We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice.”

Gizmo turned and chuckled. “I had hoped that they would’ve set the fraggin bot to tussle. Oh well, you’ll be a good test for my new invention.” He tapped his left wrist and started growing. Pretty soon, he was as tall as Vic, and surrounded in a green and black mech suit.

“You stole that idea from Adonis!” shouted Vic.

Gizmo shouted. “that Fragin idiot used a prototype I made. This one is ten times more powerful.” He held up his right hand and shot a green beam from it. Vic dodged to the right. Gizmo made a circle motion with his fingers. Vic felt an impact to his back and went flying forward, into Gizmo’s waiting fist.

“Ow! What the hell?” asked Vic. “What did you do?”

“Like I’m going to tell you.” Said Gizmo. “Here’s another trick.” He raised his right index finger towards Vic. Out of it shot a black beam that hit Vic. He felt like he had eighteen tons on each limb. “Later, loser.” Gizmo jetted through the roof. Causing said roof to fall on Vic, and the scared customers.

“Feeling like chicken little, are we? Effero.” the rubble lifted from the ground and Vic saw Pendragon with a can of coke in his hand. “Eximo.” Vic could move freely.

“Thanks.” said Vic. “Wait, were you watching the entire time?”

Pendragon shrugged. “Pretty much. I’d give you an all around F for that performance.” he heard sirens and sighed. “Great. The inquisitive doughnut lovers cometh.” he started walking away.

Vic followed. When Pendragon turned in an alley, he said. “I need you to change me back to how I was.”

Pendragon drank some of the coke. “Can’t.”

“Why not?” asked Vic.

“If I did, your body would simultaneously combust and your brain power would be the equivalent of a case of moldy yogurt.” answered Pendragon with a shrug. “And that’s the best case scenario. Now, I suggest you get back to the tower and start training.”

Vic asked, “You weren’t being completely truthful, were you, when you ‘unlocked’ us?”

Pendragon answered with a shrug and disappeared.

TFTFTFTFFTFTF

Beast Boy reached the supermarket and gasped. All around, he saw people writhing in agony. “What happened?”

The bald girl walked into his line of sight, holding a bag. Beast boy hated to admit it, but she was kinda cute. “They’re experiencing they’re true fears. Pathetic actually. It’s mostly trivial things.” her right hand had a gray, something, around it at a point. “I wonder, what does a hero like you fear, more than anything else?” she ran at him ninja fast.

He barely dodged by turning into a mouse and scurrying under her. She sweep kicked and sent him flying. He hit the wall and morphed back. “She’s good.”

“Not really. Just better trained then you, Failure.” she whispered in his ear. “By the way, they call me Psion.” Beast Boy felt a sharp stab to the back of his head. He remembered falling and hearing chuckles.

Psion chuckled for a minute, before the aura of her hand turned black. She was a hairs-breadth away from Beast Boy’s skull when she felt a presence. She turned and saw Titan leaning on a cash register. “Master.” Psion bowed.

Titan nodded and grinned. “I have a better idea. Operation blue rose.”

Psion looked confused for a second then grinned. “As you wish.” her hand’s aura turned blue and she stabbed Beast Boy’s neck. Psion looked up to find that Titan was gone. “Sweet nightmares, Hero.”

(Warning: this next bit may be a little graphic and or scary.)

Inside Beast Boy’s mind, it looked like hell. Everywhere he looked, he saw his love in pain. To the left, he saw her blonde locks torn from her head strand by strand. To the right, she was brutally abused by all manner of animals. Behind him, he saw apes peeling her skin from her bones with hot iron. In front of him, he saw himself standing over her body, with a bloody mouth and dripping teeth. Every time he blinked, it was a different friend. All the while, he was being covered in a black and orange fog.

(Graphic bit over. It would’ve been more, but I figure you get the idea.)

Vic was on his way to the tower when he got the news that BB was in the hospital. He floored it to get there. When he did, the doctor showed him BB’s room. “What happened?”

“It’s hard to tell, but according to his vitals, he’s physically healthy. The only thing odd is his heart rate is near a dangerous level. I’ve heard of similar cases in Gotham, but never with this extent. If it’s alright, we’d like to keep him overnight for observation.” said the Doctor.

Vic numbly nodded his head as he looked at BB. It looked like he was going through hell slowly.

TFTFTFTFFTFTFT

Robin cycled to the bank, thinking. ‘This has to be Slade. But why would he choose buildings at random like this? The power plant and Bank make sense. What is he after?’ when he got to the bank, he saw a huge hole in the wall. He walked up to the hole and saw Mammoth hitting the vault with a giant club. Robin threw an exploding birdarang at Mammoth. Mammoth dropped the club in surprise, leaving a crater. “Your account’s been cancelled.”

Mammoth chuckled. He stomped his foot and the ground quaked. He picked up the club and threw it at Robin.

Robin went Redbird and flew above the club. This left him drained and turned the sprinkler system on. He threw a bolo that tripped Mammoth. “See ya next fall.” he fainted from exhaustion and was caught by Starfire.

Mammoth tried to untie the bolo, when he saw Starfire’s eyes. They were glowing gold and Starfire had one arm pointed at him. “I give up.”

“AAAAchoooo.” three nova bolts hit the safe, two ‘nudged’ a pedestrian, and one large one hit Mammoth right in the face. “What have I done?”

Mammoth’s eyes read, “2:00." it started counting down. “So long, Suckers!”

“EEEEK!” Starfire dove with Robin out of the bank. There was a loud ZZZT sound then the bank was gone completely. The shockwave rocked half the city. “A Klorand? What is that kind of technology doing on this planet?” she flew Robin to the tower.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

In the cafeteria, everyone except Pendragon, Morle and Ralph ate in silence. It was edible, but no one dared ask what it was. It looked like oatmeal.

‘Why does this remind me of Starfire’s cooking?’ thought Raven. She looked at her, for lack of a better term, classmates and made metal notes. ‘Peppy thief can do some good card tricks. A bat ninja, who seems pretty mellow. A mage who’s obviously had tutoring. And,’ her thoughts drifted to Necro. ‘Something’s not right. For some reason, he just doesn’t feel normal. I’m certain I’m not the only one that thinks that.’

“It’s rude to stare.” said Necro, not looking up from the oatmeal.

After lunch, Ralph whispered something in Pendragon’s ear. Pendragon looked somber as he nodded his head. He snapped his fingers and the cards appeared. He snapped again and they turned over. “Necro versus Genius. The field is the theater.” as they walked to the theater, Pendragon seemed to be mumbling under his breath. “Fight.”

Necro wasted no time. “Letum Excito. Abeo!” a black energy sickle shot from his hand at Ralph. Ralph jumped over it with a hidden agility. “So spry for one so old. It’s no surprise you’ve been able to avoid my master for nearly a century.”

Everyone raised an eyebrow except Pendragon. Ralph smirked. “It wasn’t the cancer sticks, that much is certain. I’m guessing he taught you the small stuff.”

Necro smirked. “Define small.” a scythe materialized in his hand. The blade was darker then night.

“That's small. This is large," Ralph said, pulling out an orb about the size of a golf ball.

"I think you've got 'em mixed up, old timer," Necro snorted, getting into a battle pose with his scythe.

Pendragon smirked as Ralph activated the orb. Light twirled around it, then a beam tore through the air, missing Necro by a hair. Ralph chuckled. "That was a warning, since you seem to judge a book by its cover."

Necro charged at Ralph, but half the way there, he disappeared. Ralph arched a brow, looking around. The pole of the scythe smacked him in the side.

"That was YOUR warning," Necro snapped, leaping up, holding the scythe, ready to swing it down.

A shield formed around Ralph, and Necro was sent flying away, electrocuted. Vincent asked Pendragon, “who is Necro’s master and why has Ralph-sama been avoiding them?”

“Necro’s master has gone by several names. To tameranians he is known as X’hax. To some Shinigami, to others Thantos, and some El Angeles Muerte. His name is Death.” Said Pendragon. “Necro went to him for power, which he granted. He sent him to me for training and claim that which, if not for me and Technos, probably would’ve been his at an earlier date.”

Necro stood up shakily. “cheap tricks won’t save you forever.”

“Hmm. Old Zachary must be scraping the bottom of the barrel.” Said Ralph. “To have a vassal who takes life way too seriously. I wonder, has he let you read the Necropolis Grimmorum?”

Necro grinned. “Instead of asking your opponent insignificant questions, you should concentrate on defeating him.” he inhaled sharply. When he exhaled, a green mist shot at Ralph.

Ralph clicked his tounge and a giant wind blew the mist back at Necro. He ducked and the mist hit the wall, melting part of it.

Bet asked, “what in God’s name was that?”

“Nebulosus Letum. Commonly called “Acid Spit”. Not even the vaults of Hephaestus can stand up to a barrage of it.” answered Morle.

Ralph sighed. “Truly pathetic. Might as well wrap this up.” he took out a device that looked like a hand gun. “Attonbitus lamnia.” the gun flared to life and had an electric aura around it. “Hey, Uther! You can have my stereo.”

Pendragon grinned. “Contego!”

Necro noticed this and smirked. “If you think it’ll hit, go ahead!”

“As you wish. Ignis!” said Ralph. A spear like beam shot out of the device and the room lit up.

When the light cleared, Pendragon groaned. “Ralph, did your last act have to cause this much of a mess to my home?”

The group looked around and saw an entire wall was gone and all that was left of Ralph was a burnt imprint. Necro seemed to appear and scoffed. “Tch. The old man did my job for me.”

Pendragon grinned. “Winner by technicality; Ralph Genius” he slumped to his knees and most of the students left him to his grief.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFT

Oni reached his target and saw the black haired girl holding a golden staff and was twirling it near the entrance. “Excuse me, but you aren’t leaving with that. hand it over and I’ll treat you to dinner. What do you say?”

“Did you actually think that would work?” asked the girl.

Oni shrugged. “No. But I figured I’d try. Well, since we are strangers, I’ll introduce myself. I am Oda Arashi. And you are?”

The girl smirked. “I’m called Requiem.” she held the staff in an offensive stance.

Oni sighed and drew his sword. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me call you Req for short?”

Requiem shrugged and ran at him. Oni dodged and kicked at her. She sidestepped and stabbed him in the gut with the staff. He took this time to notice the yellow H on her shirt. “Not bad. What size are you?”

She rolled her eyes and palmed him in the face. “Pathetic.”

Oni fell back and tripped Requiem lessening her grip on the staff. He struggled to his knees and said. “it was nice meeting you Req. Next time we meet, how about we have dinner?”

Requiem ran at him drawing her swords. “Die!!!” Oni vanished into a puff of smoke. “Damn You!!!”

Oni walked to the tower leaning on the staff. “You had better be worth it.”

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

Back at the apartment, the five waited for their employer. Gizmo laughed as Requiem entered empty handed. She told him, “one word out of your mouth and I’ll sever your face from your head.” Gizmo promptly shut up.

Titan walked into the apartment with a grin. “So, how did it go?”

Requiem answered, “we lost one of the items.”

Titan nodded. “That’s perfectly alright. I told you when I hired you that it would be beneficial if they got their hands on one of them. Give me the items you do have, and I’ll give you your payment. Fair?” they handed him a silver and black box and a rainbow stone. “Argentum Voco”

Several large chests filled with cash appeared on the apartment floor. Mammoth and gizmo hugged their share, Whiteflame took his and left, Psion walked over to Titan’s side. Requiem scowled and walked off. Titan and Psion vanished. Leaving Gizmo and Mammoth with five chests full of hundreds.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT

"Did you get what I asked?" Deathstroke demanded.

Titan walked forward, as he was the inbetween. Only he could safely talk to Deathstroke. He held up two objects. One was a small, black and silver box. The other was an orb that flashed a rainbow of colors.

"Here is the life stone and the magic orb. All that is necessary is the conductor rod, then you will be able to raise your son from the grave."

Deathstroke took the objects, examining them. It was truly excellent. Ravager would come back to give the Titans hell. He already had a grand scheme to enhance the boy further.

An enhanced mind is great, but with incredible strength, solar discharging, fire manipulation, and the ability to turn into various mythological creatures was even better, after all.

Grant Wilson would be reborn as an avatar of death and destruction, controlled by Deathstroke the Terminator, now known as Slade. “So, where is the conductor rod?”

Titan smirked and took out an ancient looking book. “I assume it’s at Titan’s tower by now. Thankfully I have an old friend in place there. And a fool to free him.” he opened the book and read some.

“So when will you retrieve it?” asked Slade.

Titan shrugged. “The soonest is two days from now. So that’ll probably be then.” ‘To be honest, I could do it now, but why?’

Slade looked at Titan with some scrunity.

"I will not need it now, anyways. It will take the Titans a while to get through the Cavern's Center," Slade said.

He noted Titan's reaction with some amusement. He had come back from Hell. Of course he would have picked up magic along the way. And, of course, he used some degrees of magic on himself to enhance his mind in such a way as to grant him something closer to emotion reading than mind reading. However, if he dug deep, brief flashes could come to him.

Titan grinned. “Well then. The absolute minimum is tomorrow night for the plan to be most effective. My student needs to rest.”

Slade looked towards Titan’s sleeping quarters. “She manipulates minds, correct?”

“A little more complex then that.” answered Titan. “I don’t suggest fighting her. Besides, the titans need a proper invitation to the cavern.”

Pendragon sighed as he and the others entered the room.

"We'll take a small break. You might want to consider reading over this material. It reacts according to your style, performance, etcetera, and tells you some tips you'll need to consider when training."

Raven opened hers in light interest, unprepared for it to suddenly grow to be about as thick as a Harry Potter book.

"Some tips?" she asked.

"Well, in most cases. You just started your style. Therefore, there's a lot to improve. However, considering your bookish nature, you'll be able to tear through that book several times over today, won't you? In any matter, we'll just take five. Be prepared, as the next fight will be..." Pendragon said, consulting the cards. He smirked and snapped his fingers. “Morle versus Necro. Near Stonehenge.”

[end chapter